IL Makes History As 1st State To Pass Anti-Book Ban Law

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Banned books will soon be a thing of the past at public libraries in Illinois now that the Library Freedom Act has been signed into law. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill Monday at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago.

Under the new law, public libraries must reject outside attempts at banning books for reasons that are partisan or doctrinal, to retain their eligibility for Illinois state grants.

The law allows Illinois to withhold state funding from public libraries and schools that remove books from their shelves and do not follow the American Library Association's "Bill of Rights," which states that books "should not be removed or restricted because of partisan or personal disapproval."

"Here in Illinois, we don't hide from the truth, we embrace it," Gov. Pritzker said in a statement. "Young people shouldn't be kept from learning about the realities of our world; I want them to become critical thinkers, exposed to ideas that they disagree with, proud of what our nation has overcome, and thoughtful about what comes next. Everyone deserves to see themselves reflected in the books they read, the art they see, the history they learn. In Illinois, we are showing the nation what it really looks like to stand up for liberty."

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias approached Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D, IL-81), of Downers Grove, to present the bill (HB 2789), according to Stava-Murray's team.

The bill was first presented in the Illinois House of Representatives in February by Stava-Murray (D, IL-81). In March, Sen. Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D, IL-49) was added as co-sponsor.

Illinois Sen. Laura Murphy (D, IL-28), introduced HB 2789 to the state senate in late March, with Sen. Paul Feraci, (D, IL-52) added later as chief co-sponsor.

HB 2789 passed the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives on May 3 and was sent to Pritzker on May 22.

After Monday's signing, Downers Grove-based Rep. Stava Murray said in a statement, "Banning books is not something that should have ever been permitted to begin with in a 21st century democracy. For a group of people to weaponize local government to force their views on the rest of the community is not American. That’s what third world dictatorships do, not democracies. I’m proud to have played a role in keeping authoritarian censorship out of Illinois."

In 2022, the American Library Association reported that there had been 67 book ban attempts throughout the state.

The year prior, some Downers Grove residents challenged Community High School District 99 to remove the book "Gender Queer" from its student libraries. Written by Maia Kobabe, Gender Queer follows Kobabe's "journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes, grappling with how to come out to family and society, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears," per publishers Simon & Schuster.

Ultimately, the district opted to keep the book on its library shelves. "Gender Queer" encountered pushback in Virginia and Kansas as well.

Stava-Murray said in a statement Monday, "The free exchange of ideas from diverse perspectives is essential to democracy and to a free society. America’s heritage as a melting pot where anyone from any culture, nationality, creed, religion or tradition is welcome requires that everyone from any of these groups be equally free to speak and be heard and to share their stories and unique experiences. Book bans are fundamentally incompatible with that."